EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an open letter to Mayor Will Flanagan from Kerri Thro, whose home was destroyed in the 2012 Hood Street fire.

Mr. Mayor,

It has been a little over two years since you stood with me on a freezing, windy evening and watched my home burn to the ground. My whole life, everything my husband and I worked so hard for, gone — all in about 30 minutes, tops. That night I knew almost right away that it was too late for my home to be saved. The firefighters had to focus their attention on keeping the surrounding houses from also catching fire. At one point, I feared our whole neighborhood would be burned to the ground.

I ask you, if this were to happen again, would an understaffed fire department be able to handle this type of blaze? Would the response time be fast enough to prevent the fire from spreading? Would there be enough trucks and men to control this type of fire?

My family, along with my former tenants, might have lost everything that night, but it brought me some comfort knowing many of my neighbors’ homes were spared. I will not sit here and tell you I know a lot about politics, because I do not. This is not directed only to you, Mr. Mayor, but to all politicians who play a role in this decision.

Politics or not, no matter who you are or how much you try, unless you have experienced a tragedy of this type firsthand, there is no understanding the hurt, pain and empty feeling this leaves you with. With that being said, residents in Fall River should not have to live in fear that if a fire were to happen in their home, that there would be no hope for saving it because of an understaffed fire department.

I also know that many will say we will still fall within the guidelines to keep the residents safe. I completely disagree with that statement. That night has left an empty spot in my heart that I think about every day and has changed the way I see many things. One of the biggest things is that I hold the highest respect for firefighters and what they do every day — not that I didn’t respect them before, but it gets magnified seeing them work first hand on your own home.

This job takes a certain type of person, one who will put their own life on the line for a complete stranger everyday. Men and women who choose to do this work should not have to fight to keep their jobs, nor should they have to live in fear of losing their livelihood. They should be praised every day for their commitment and hard work that they do.